We are pleased to share with you our seasonal newsletters.
Spring 2021
“All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.”
—Unknown
Springtime in the Policy Estate Vineyard, Yountville
Coming Soon – 2019 Pulido~Walker Mt. Veeder Estate Chardonnay
We thought we had it easy with the 2018 growing season, but 2019 was even more idyllic across the Napa Valley. This was one for the books: a long, warm summer with no prolonged heat spikes. Yields were not as copious as the previous year, but fruit quality was outstanding. Our focus with the Pulido~Walker Mt. Veeder Estate Chardonnay is not to produce substantial quantity, in any case, but rather to highlight the robust quality of this truly unique mountain Chardonnay.
We harvested the three vineyard blocks separately on September 10. Once again, the Wente clone produced a tiny amount of fruit, in contrast to a fairly ample amount of the Montrachet. Planted a year later than the other two, with cuttings from the Thieriot Vineyard, the first crop of the Robert Young clone made a fine, albeit small, showing this year.
With Chardonnay grapes, we carefully track the pH and brix to achieve a cooler- climate, Burgundian flavor profile in the wine. We harvested at brix in the low 20s, and each block went direct to press and to barrel the same day. Each of the 17 resulting French oak barrels was essentially its own lot, or sub-lot, with distinct characteristics that made the blending process exceptionally intricate as we considered each of the barrels individually.
The Wente block wines were an immediate standout, with all making the cut, along with four barrels of the Montrachet and, initially, one barrel of the Robert Young. When we revisited the blend, the Robert Young was so good we included a second barrel.
The 2019 Pulido~Walker Mt. Veeder Estate Chardonnay shows a good bit of minerality, with the lime-blossom edge and oyster shell notes we associate with cooler-climate Chardonnays. We gravitated to the wines aged in new Louis Latour barrels, which contribute some brioche. This is clearly mountain-grown Chardonnay—almost a category unto itself. Broad shouldered and muscular, even with no skin contact, the 2019 Pulido~Walker Mt. Veeder Estate Chardonnay will cellar well and continue to intrigue.
We celebrate the release of the 2019 vintage of Pulido~Walker Chardonnay from Mt. Veeder Estate Vineyard with your invitation to purchase being sent in early April.
“We could not have been more thrilled with the inaugural release of our 2018 vintage. With one more year of vine maturity, the sophomore effort is besting our debut and promises that future vintages of this bold Chardonnay will continue to expand our understanding of how this site can dazzle.”
~Thomas Rivers Brown, Winemaker
Celebrating the First Decade: 100% Estate Grown & 100 Point Award
We are extremely proud and humbled by the recent Jeb Dunnuck reviews of our 2018 vintage. His recognition is an honor for our exceptional vineyard and winemaking teams as well as our esteemed winemaker, Thomas Rivers Brown. What an incredible way to end our first decade of crafting exceptional single vineyard designate Cabernet Sauvignon wines!
2018 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon Melanson Vineyard
Pure Napa Valley genius, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Melanson Vineyard comes from a vineyard on Pritchard Hill, just across from Colgin, and is all Cabernet brought up in around 80% new French oak. Stunningly pure notes of blackcurrants, blueberries, iron, crushed rock, and an almost meaty, bloody quality emerge from the glass, and this beauty is full-bodied, with a multi-dimensional, layered mouthfeel, loads of tannins, and a great, great finish. This flawless, heavenly Cabernet is going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and cruise for 20-30 years in cold cellars.
100 Points Jebdunnuck.com, January 2021
Visit Us in Napa!
For those of you who are planning a visit to the Napa Valley, please know that we are eager to host you for the Pulido~Walker Experience at Mending Wall Winery. You’ll enjoy a curated tasting of our exceptional single vineyard designate wines and have a chance to learn more about why and how we “Pursue the Possible.”
All of our wines are produced at Mending Wall, a winery we built in partnership with winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown and Frank Dotzler, founder of Outpost. If you or your friends would like to arrange for your own Pulido~Walker Experience, please call 707-226-1900 or email [email protected] to make a reservation.
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Happenings in the Vineyard
Grapevines undergo a dormancy stage, which is essentially a hibernation period for these plants. The vines have stored all of their nutrients in their roots, leaving the once vivacious, fruitful shoots dry and void of leaves and fruit. Dormancy allows grapevines to tolerate winter weather and gives them time to prepare for budbreak in the Spring. Like hibernating animals, the vines are waiting for warmer temperatures before once again using the energy they have stored up to become active and begin a new growing season.
Mt. Veeder Estate Vineyard
The most critical vineyard practice that occurs during dormancy is pruning. For Pulido~Walker, pruning occurred in all our Estate Vineyards—Mt. Veeder, Melanson, and Policy—during the month of February, when the vines were completely bare and nearing the end of their dormancy.
Pruning helps set the stage for the upcoming growing season, preventing overcrowded vines, and giving us the ability to determine the number and position of shoots on the vine, and will therefore determine cluster count and ensure small yields to craft our exceptional single vineyard designates.